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angry tapir writes "Sony says it will start selling a head mounted display that provides a 3D theater for music videos, movies and games, targeting people who prefer solitary entertainment rather than sitting in front of a TV with family or friends. Sony Corp said on Wednesday that the 60,000 yen ($A730) 'HMZ personal 3D viewer' is set to go on sale on November 11 in Japan, and is planned for the US and Europe, perhaps in time for Christmas, although dates have not yet been set. HMZ uses Sony's own OLED screen."

GP was referring to the still all-too-common practice of USD prices being translated to GBP (and EUR, for that matter) not by performing an actual currency rate conversion, but by a simple s/$/Â£/g substitution.

but I'm wondering, what optical adjustments they have.. I wear -6~ glasses. (apparently it's 720p, so I might use it for 2d content too, if I can use it at all, wearable displays is what I'd like in the long run)

I'm also curious why they hardly mention a word about virtual reality. Seems to me like an OBVIOUS application for this device. Put it together with a Kinect sensor and you'd have a pretty kick-ass setup.

I'd be surprised if they didn't have at least some optical adjustment. Most cameras have had adjustable viewfinders for a long time.

I'm also curious why they hardly mention a word about virtual reality. Seems to me like an OBVIOUS application for this device. Put it together with a Kinect sensor and you'd have a pretty kick-ass setup.

I'd be surprised if they didn't have at least some optical adjustment. Most cameras have had adjustable viewfinders for a long time.

That's a kick ass setup right up to the point that you pretend lightsaber through the front of your TV:)

A kinect-style sensor would be a start; but to really make best use of this, rather pricey, display you'd really want to have some inertial sensors in the helmet and gaze tracking.

Plain-old stereoscopic "3D" is ok, and is a comparatively simple step to take(in terms of production and data storage) from a simple single-screen 2D image; but the fact that turning your head or moving your eyes doesn't change your perspective really tweaks your suspension of disbelief if you aren't careful about it. Given tha

That's exactly what I plan to do. Clip a TrackIR Pro head tracker to this thing, and I have the most balls-to-the-wall home flight sim setup available. I already have a pair of stereoscopic wearable display goggles (Vuzix), but the low resolution makes them practically useless for combat flight sim use because you can't pick out aircraft at long range.

I'm interested in a pair of glasses that are suitable for use as a monitor replacement.
I'm not particularly interested in 3D viewing or augmented reality... but I would like to be able to connect my glasses to my laptop, lie on my back and do computer programming work with either a split keyboard that straps to my wrists or a chording keyboard. I would also want to be able to watch movies using them.
I would also want to be able to use this in public places, like while I'm riding the bus or sitting on a

From TFA: "It seems unlikely that most people — or even technology enthusiasts — will want to buy a product that involves sitting alone and wearing a little helmet."

Apparently they don't know very many/. readers.

I have no problem enjoying media alone. Sometimes, depending on the media, alone is the best way to enjoy it.

It's not the alone part that bothers me. It is the fact that I have to cover my eyes and ears and sit there alone. Nope! Not gonna happen. I'm a bit too paranoid for that. I could not enjoy the experience because I would constantly be wondering "Is someone coming into my house right now?".

It's the same reason I can't go to sleep with head phones on. I need more that just my sense of touch, sme

Well, first of all this is Japan, where they're at least supposed to be more social than that. People retreating away from society and being self-sufficient are considered a major problem and dysfunction, rather than a core demographic to market to.

In fact all through Asia you have a surprising number of people going to Internet cafes to play an MMO because apparently somehow it's not enough to play a social game if you don't also play it surrounded by other people. Sometimes to such... strange extremes as

From TFA: "It seems unlikely that most people — or even technology enthusiasts — will want to buy a product that involves sitting alone and wearing a little helmet."

Apparently they don't know very many/. readers.

Hopefully, most technology enthusiasts will remember that this is the company that sent out rootkits on audio CDs, that took marketed functionality away from PS3 users after taking their money, that let millions of people's personal information loose due to lax security practices on their gaming network, that sued Joel Tenenbaum for $4.5 million for sharing 31 songs on the Internet, and so on ad nauseum. Personally, I also remember them for a home theater system I bought years ago that broke, that took lit

Look at the upside of this, if it sells well then it'll prompt non-Sony companies to try and compete.

Personally I would love to get a set of those HMZ, I have the Glasstron PLM-S700 and the native 832x624 res picture quality is very good due to excellent optics, something which many of the cheap'n'cheerful LCD video glases manufacturers have overlooked, and hopefully the HMZ have the same high-grade optics as the Glasstrons.

I'm responding to you but this response also applies to the other child-response to me. What kind of invasive roommates/family do you have that they don't mind (or are happy) barging into any room they like? You have no privacy and/or locked doors in your household? That's barbaric...

Leave the door wide open. If they don't want to see then they shouldn't look. If you can't wring one out at home something is wrong with the world. If the Mrs complains tell her you're only helping out with some of the house work. Its got to be done.

Why? Are you ashamed of it?I recommend doing what a woman would do when someone "catches" her masturbating:Tell that person that he/she is a pervert! And continue fapping.Because what you do is natural.What that person does is invading your privacy.If you suspect it being unintentional, ask politely to be left alone please first.

At least that's healthy (not influenced by religious schizophrenia) social protocol for this.

Exactly. That woman has a right to masturbate in private. Everyone else should just leave the cinema until she's done... perverts.

I know. I used to work for a company that built HMDs for the military, maybe 15 years ago or so. We took the technology and built VR arcade games out of it.

>>Sadly, the effect isn't that great - you lack your peripheral vision

It depends on the HMD. Our $100k HMDs basically covered a pretty wide range of vision. (150 degrees square or so.) They were used in military flight simulators (which were a lot of fun to play in at lunch) as well as by people actually in

But this is where content consumption is eventually going. Someone is simply going to invent a set of eyeglasses that connect to your cell phone that provide a complete visual interface including augmented reality. Maybe Steve will be able to complete that cloning technology in the next few years and his clone will return as CEO and invent the iGlass. Then suddenly, as if almost overnight, four-eyes will change be a compliment on your style and taste.

Until then, we can laugh at people who wear these impractical and goofy looking things. But at least it's not a TV Hat [buytvhatnow.com]

I tried a VR helmet prototype at SIGGRAPH in 1996. Even with the vector graphics of the demo the immersion was impressive, but in less than a minute I had a headache. I am sure the technology has greatly improved in the past 15 years, but headaches was still one of the main complaints of the Nintendo 3DS when it was released. I can watch a 3D movie and do not get one, so maybe this device has overcame that problem.

Things like this have been around for ages. For example you could have bought some MSP-209 video glasses ages ago. I tried a few brands when I live in Japan and they all had the same problem. You were able to see the grid or mesh the pixels sat in. I hope these solve that and compact the screen down.For a decent price and when not made by Sony I may even get a set.

In fact, a previous poster mentioned that HMD systems gave them headaches in the past. This is likely caused, in part, by that very disconnect between what your eye's see, what your ears feel, and what your body is doing. Hopefully people don't try to walk with this thing on.

On the other hand, in spite of their recent troubles, I think Sony has enough money to hire a psychophysicist to help them address these issues.

I bought a pair of MyVu glasses, and they work great! But only if you have contact lenses, and don't have astigmatism. I don't have the former and do have the latter, and these things don't fit over my glasses.

Considering how many people need corrective lenses these days, unless the helmet specifically says it can accommodate glasses, I don't see it becoming popular or much of a success.

Now the Virtual I/O iGlasses true stereoscopic in that they had two distinct displays, one for each eye, and each display could be run separately to show the correct offset for stereo vision. They were fairly lightweight, and it had a few design features that made them very nice. First was that they used have silvered prisms to display the image to the eye from the LCD displays. This meant that it could be used not just for VR type games, which is what the place I worked at used it for, but for augmented r

Except this time, there's actually relatively mainstream content for it. 3D movies and a few 3D games. For Gran Turismo 5 alone this could be awesome. If the price is under £500 (should be £480 if they did a direct conversion from yen) I'd seriously consider it..

The thing does not seem to include a head tracker, so while it's ok for viewing 3D content, it doesn't look all that useful for full virtual reality (unless you tape a TrackIR, PlaystationMove, Wiimote, whatever to the thing).

No you see. If the marketing does it right, it is both a 3D display and a weight loss tool... Put this on after you finish eating, play a "weight loss video", withing seconds you have cut the consumption of hundreds of Calories, bucket cost extra.And if you want to avoid other illnesses, you may try doing it when you are hungry, it may stop you from feeling hungry.